Hammer-rail spring



Oct 27, 1925. 1,559,495

G. F. ABENDSCHEIN HAMMER RAIL SPRING Filed Aug. 29. 1922 Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,559,495 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. ABENDSCHEIN, OF RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE STATE- ABENDSCHEIN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

HAMMER-RAIL SPRING.

Application filed August 29, 1922.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Gnonen F. AnuNnsoHmN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at- Rutherford, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hammer-Rail Springs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention is an improvement primarily applicable to grand pianos and will be hereinafter described as used in this connection. It resides in a means for counter-ha]ancing and counteracting the weight and inertia of the hammer lifting rail in these and similar pianos.

In all pianos to which the improvement is applicable, the hammers are lifted by a rail to vary the amplitude of their stroke upon the strings to soften or modify the tone. This rail is operated in ordinary pianos by meansof a foot pedal while in automatic pianos it isfmoved by a pneumatic electric or other mechanism controlled by the music sheet or the hand of the player to give the required expression. In any event, the weight and inertia of the rail and the ham mers lifted thereby are considerable and the force for overcoming them is such as to require, in the one case, sensible muscular effort and, in the other, special mechanism capable of exerting the proper power. This fact de tracts from the delicacy of operation and may add very materially to the cost of the apparatus or appliances used.

The object of my invention is to so counteract or counterbalance the weight of the lifting rail and its load, that no sensible amount of force or power is required for its movement and this I have accomplished by the use of bow springs, one end adjustably attached to a stationary part of the piano or piano action and the other to the lifting rail. I have found it desirable to use two of such springs for a rail and to attach them to the ends of the rail, but others may be used if space be afforded for them and the requirements of particular instruments demand it.

These springs are sodesigned as to exert their full lifting or supporting effect uniformly over a wide range of movement and they are of such character that their effect may be readily and easily adjusted with great nicety by varying their length. Their construction and arrangement will be under- Serial No. 584,937.

stood from an examination of the drawings annexed and the detailed description which follows. i

In the said drawings Fig. 1 is a side view in elevation of that part of a grand piano action to which my improvement is applicable, showing the parts in their normal position.

Fig. 2 is similar View showing the same parts but with the rail and hammers raised.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bow springs showing the manner in which they are attached.

Fig. 4 is a detail section on line 4- l oi Fig. 2 of the means for adjusting the springs.

The mechanism of a grand or similar piano which comprises the lifting haml'ner rail is well known in the art and I have 7 therefore shown only such parts of the mechanism as are required to illustrate the nature and manner of applying my improvement. These parts are as described below.

1 is the lifting rail which is carried by rods 2, pivoted at .3. The means for raising the rods and rail are designated by the numeral 4 and may be of any desired and proper character operated by a foot pedal, pneumatic or otherwise. The hammers 5 are shown in dotted lines.

A support rail 6 is secured to the piano frame and carries pads 7 upon which the rail 1 rests. Bow springs S, which may be composed of lengths of steel piano wire, are secured at one end to the support rail 6 and at the other to the lifting rail. The attachment to the support rail is so made that the effective length of the springs may be readily varied, to secure the necessary lifting force of the springs upon the hammer rail. For this purpose I pass the ends of the springs through perforations in said support rail and secure them by screws 9 which may be loosened to permit adjustment of the effective length of the wires.

The connection between the springs and the lifting rail may be of any kind, but to compensate for the movement of the points of attachment and to the fixed lengths of the supporting rods 2. I prefer to secure eyes 11 to the rail and to connect the turned up ends of the springs thereto by means of rings or links 10.

From the above description of the improvement it will now be seen that the springs have nmnerous and important functions and advantages. It, or they if more than one be used, permit the swing; ing hammer-rail of a regular grand piano action or an action known a lost motion grand piano action installed either in a hand played instrument or in a player .e'rand piano however operated, that is by root electric or any other power, to be lifted with a less expenditure of energy without regard to the manner in which such ene "y is developed whether by foot power through the pedal mechanism; by the pneumatic bellows and player action or otherwise. 7

' By the use of my improvement it also follows that the lifting hammer rail is held always in well balanced suspension,

under precise control from its normal or any other point of rest, passing through all points coveringboth extremes of the velocity of its movement. It is delicately responsive at any point in its path of movement to the lifting power however this may he applied. The proper fulfillment 0; the functions and purpose of the mprovement are in large measure dependent upon the character of the spring or springs employed- It is manifest for example, that many forms of spring might be used which would be wholly incapable of accomplishing the desired results.

What I therefore claim as my'invention is i 1; In a piano action the combination with the hammer lifting; rail of one or more springs secured to a stationary part of the piano and to the lifting rail, said springs being of the kind which is capable of exerting uniform supporting; and counterbalancinpthroughout its entire range of movement.

2.111 a piano action, the combination "the hammer lifting rail of a bow spring, one end connected to a stationary support in the piano and the other to the lifting rail, said sprins; being;- of the form wrieh is capable oi er'eiting a uniform supporting or counter. lancing; influence on said rail'tliroughont en movement.

3 In a p ano action, the combination with the h iner lifting rail of .steel bow springs connected at one end to a stationary support-rail in the piano, by means whereby vthe point of such connection may be varied order to vary the effective length and lifting force of the springs and at the other end'to the saidlifting rail as herein described.

i. In a piano"action the combination with the hammer li rail of steelbow springs connected adiustably' at one end to a station? y support in the piano, and at the other end to said lifting; rail. andjs'wing ins lir lifting rail, herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereto aiiix my signature. e

GEORGE FREDERICK ABENDSCHEEN.

influence on said lifting rail.

tire range of intermediate such ends and the 

